Photo: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty
E. Jean Carroll, the formerElleadvice columnist who filed suit against Donald Trump on allegations of rape and defamation, took the stand on Wednesday — just day two of the civil trial in New York City.
“He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back,” she added.
Her suit alleged that “roughly 27 years ago, playful banter at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in New York City took a dark turn when Defendant Donald J. Trump seized Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her.”
Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty
According to her testimony, Carroll has not had a romantic relationship — or sex — since the alleged assault. “The reason is because Donald Trump raped me,” she said, according to thePost. “I couldn’t force myself to show [another] man that I liked that I liked him; it just led to terrible consequences.”
Carroll testified that she felt guilt for flirting with Trump before the alleged attack and did not file a police report at the time partly because she blamed herself, the outlet reports.
On Wednesday, Trump ranted on Truth Social about the allegations against him.
In another post, he wrote: “Does anybody believe that I would take a then almost 60 year old woman that I didn’t know, from the front door of a very crowded department store, (with me being very well known, to put it mildly!), into a tiny dressing room, and …. her. She didn’t scream? There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this?”
Trump has denied Carroll’s claims of assault for years, saying ina 2019 interview: “No. 1: She’s not my type” and, further, that he had “never met this person in my life.” (The two have been photographed together, though Trump said that was an incidental moment.)
More recently, an attorney for Trump told outlets including the Associated Press that the case is “an abuse” of the new New York law.
“While I respect and admire individuals that come forward, this case is unfortunately an abuse of the purpose of this Act which creates a terrible precedent and runs the risk of delegitimizing the credibility of actual victims,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for the New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty
As the now-unfolding trial is taking place in federal court, it will not be televised — meaning the details from the case are coming via reporters in the courtroom. NPR reports that the trial is expected to last roughly a week, and that “damages could run to tens of millions of dollars” if Trump is found to be at fault.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
